Moonen Finishing Bill Dixon Design from Royal Denship

Talk about tackling a challenge: Not only is Moonen Shipyards completing a partially built yacht from a bankrupt yard, it’s doing so in a material it has not previously used.

A 120-foot, trideck motoryacht was commissioned at Royal Denship about two years ago, to a design by Bill Dixon. Unfortunately, when the yard declared bankruptcy last summer, construction on the all-fiberglass megayacht ceased. Only about one-quarter of the work was completed. Understandably, the owner wanted to see her brought to fruition.

Even though Moonen builds and refits metal yachts, the owner knew of its reputation in both sectors and approached it for the task. The photo here shows the hull arriving at Moonen’s facilities last October.

Even with the vote of confidence, Moonen recognizes that it has its hands full. In the words of Mark Vermeulen, its director of operations, there are “significant gaps in the engineering packages,” so it’s addressing those first. The good news is, all of the fiberglass components of the motoryacht, with the exception of the main deck, were already finished. Moonen does, however, need to build out the stern of the yacht. It plans to do that concurrently with the installation of the engines and other systems, 20 percent of which was readily available. It’s also working with subcontractors such as Green Marine, which has fiberglass experience; Alewijnse, which does electrical work; and De Leeuw Yacht Services, a paint company. Vermeulen likens the overall project to “a delicate balance between a new build and a refit.”

As for the interior, the owner is overseeing that, in conjunction with Moonen.